Silver Seas
by Sarcastically Insane
Summary: Silver fights his way across Johto, gathering a crew to help him carry out his war on the World Government.
1. Romance Dusk

Three figures dashed through the alleyway in a perfect line, every movement carefully practiced and coordinated. They made a series of complex turns, and reached a dead end. The one in the lead jumped to their left, kicking off the wall and grabbing the roof of the building on their right. As they pulled themselves up, the other two followed suit. They continued across the rooftop before jumping the gap between it and the next building, dashing over the rooftops of the small town.

As they got to the edge of town, they stopped and sat down. Each produced a small snack as they watched the ocean waves. The one on the left was a boy in a black tee shirt, shorts, and a hat; the one on the right was a boy of similar age with long red hair in a ponytail, a black shirt and baggy pants. The girl between then was leaning on their shoulders in shorts and a tank top, with black hair in twin pigtails hanging down to her waist.

"Gold, Silver," she said, talking to the boy on the left and right, respectively, "I can't believe it's almost summer. The summer of our eighteenth birthdays."

"Yeah. Freedom at last," Silver said.

"Freedom for you guys. I'm leaving for the Marines," Gold said. "Helping protect people everywhere, bringing justice and sailing the seven seas."

"You do that," Silver replied. "And I'll do whatever comes my way. I'll probably do my best to avoid the sea, too, so it's not likely we'll see each other again, Gold."

"Still can't swim, Silver?" Gold joked. "You nearly drowned, what, thirteen years ago? And you haven't touched the water since."

Silver made a dismissive motion with his hand. "I just never liked the water, okay? All I know is that when my birthday hits, I'm outta here."

Crystal grabbed the duo and pulled them in close.

"Hey, look," she whispered somberly, "we've got one summer left before we all leave for whatever. One last summer together as friends. Then we're all going to have to go our separate ways, so let's make this a summer to remember; the best summer ever."

"One last summer…" Gold mused. He put his hand up to the setting sun. "Friends forever?"

"Friends forever," Silver and Crystal said as they put their hands in. "Nakama."

Silver walked through the warm summer night, heading for the road out of town. He had decided; if Gold was really going to be a Marine, that meant Silver had to leave soon. He couldn't let Gold have ties to a pirate, and that was what Silver was going to be. It was the only way to get what he needed.

As Silver neared the gate, the worst possible thing happened. He saw Gold and Crystal, leaned up against one of the posts of the gate, talking. He couldn't think of a way to get past them without being seen or heard. He turned, deciding to try another route through the forest, when Gold turned and saw him.

"Silver!" he yelled, running over with Crystal in tow. "Great news! The Marine recruiter is coming to New Bark tomorrow!"

The words hit Silver like a bomb. He had to leave, now. Any Marine was bad news to him.

"That's great, Gold!" Silver said, faking happiness for his friend. "Though I'm not feeling all that great. I was going to go for a stroll outside the town, y'know? Fresh air."

"That sucks," Gold said absently, "but there's going to be a recruiter! Here! Tomorrow! It'll be great! I'll finally be a Marine! Can you believe it, Silver?"

Silver rubbed his temples. "Yeah, great, Gold. You'll finally be a Marine, at the beck and call of the government. Can I go for my walk now?"

"Look, Silver," Crystal pouted, "I know you aren't feeling well, but show some sympathy! Gold's dream is finally coming true!"

"Yeah!" Gold continued to shout. "A Marine!"

"Shut up!" Silver said, grabbing Gold and shoving him up against the nearest wall to Gold and Crystal's shock. "You can go spread the corrupt sense of 'justice' that the Marines follow. You can become a dog of the government. You can do whatever the hell you want. I don't care. But if you want a snowball's chance in hell of becoming a Marine for God knows why, don't tell them a thing about me or that you know me." He let go and turned to leave. "I have to go. Goodbye forever, New Bark. Good riddance."

As Silver walked towards the gate, he broke into a run. He had to get far, far away from this place if the Marines were coming. Break all ties and prove nobody had connections to him. No matter what he told himself, he couldn't bear to know the place he had grown up was hit by a Buster Call because of him.

"Silver!" Gold yelled as he ran after his friend. "Silver, what are you doing? What's wrong? Why-"

"Shut! UP!" Silver yelled as he stopped, turned, and punched Gold in the gut. Crystal began to cry from behind him, covering her mouth. Gold's eyes bugged out as he coughed, searching for breath. "What don't you get, idiot? I'm leaving, and I'm not coming back. Ever. It's not too complex."

Gold got to his knees, staring Silver in the eye, breathing hard. "What's wrong with you? What happened to making this the best summer ever? What happened to our Nakama?"

"Simple," Silver said coldly. "I left. Just like I'm leaving the town. Goodbye, Gold. The Marines will never accept such a weak fool."

"You bastard!" Gold yelled, stumbling forward in an attempt to hit Silver, who easily evaded.

"If you keep coming at me like that, I'll eventually be forced to fight back, and the results won't be pretty."

"I. Will. Not. Stop!" Gold yelled, continuing his spectacularly horrible assault as Silver sidestepped, jumped over, and ducked under every blow.

"That's it. This is pathetic. Crystal, scream for help," Silver said. He raised his arm as if to deliver a punch, but with his hand open and parallel to the ground. Then he brought his arm down towards Gold as if attacking with a sword, and, for a moment, nothing happened.

Then Gold's chest split open from shoulder to hip, a deep gash gushing blood.

"Gold!" Crystal screamed. "HELP!"

"It's survivable," Silver said, "by the lucky and the strong. If you're going to come after me as a Marine, you'll have to be both. Even if you survive it, you probably won't be able to fight. Goodbye, Gold."

Silver turned his back to his dying friend and left, never looking back or even sparing a thought for the town and life he had left behind. He had cut all ties with them. He was a loner now, with nothing to his name. No friends, no family, no connections.

This would not stop him.

Gold lay in the hospital bed, his vitals extremely low.

"It's a miracle he survived," a nurse said to his visitor. "We're not even sure if he'll be able to move normally after he recovers. Whatever did this barely missed everything vital, but it hit a heck of a lot of everything else."

"I think he'll be perfect for service when he recovers," the man said. "Of course, he wouldn't be able to make it in the normal rank-and-file in this condition, but I have a place in mind he'll make it just fine."

"Okay, whatever you say, Mr. Marine Recruiter. What did you say your name was, again?"

"I didn't."


	2. Infoshort 1

[I]Marine.[/I] Simply saying it conjured up thoughts of the vast ocean, great naval battles with pirates, islands everywhere, protected by loyal men… and Justice, the driving force of every single one of those loyal men.

Even in his almost comatose state, Gold knew he wanted to be one of those loyal men.

On the seas, the land, and anywhere else they could reach, the Marines embodied the law as one of the Three Great Powers. They kept the balance with the four chaotic Pirate Emperors and the seven Region Warlords. The Marines were a massive, structured military force, using Justice and numbers as their biggest advantages.

However, Gold couldn't help but wonder what Silver alluded to in his escape. Every Marine followed their sense of Justice, but Silver had made it sound like Justice was evil. How could that be? Those who followed what was called 'Absolute Justice', where all crimes must be punished and punished equally, were known to have occasionally gone a bit far in their doings, but they weren't necessarily evil. What corruption could destroy Justice itself? Nothing, Gold thought- Silver must have been lying. You can't destroy an idea.

As Gold felt his body slowly recover, he eventually began to hear snatches of conversation near him. Mentions of who he could only guess to be Silver flew, quickly followed by curses and yelling. He occasionally heard Crystal's voice, and a man that he had never heard before.

The days passed, and Gold's healing underwent a miraculous overnight spurt once, making him come ever closer to recovery- and a good recovery at that. The scar would last, but Gold felt consciousness creep ever closer all the time.

He had decided. Silver had done this to him. And for what? Getting out of New Bark? Gold would find Silver, no matter what. And he would find out why he had done this.

Nakama… 'team', or 'crew'. Gold, Silver, and Crystal had been Nakama once. But no more.

When he awoke, Gold would find the Marines, and they would be his Nakama. One way or another, he would bring Justice to Silver, and show him the truth.


	3. Introducing Youngster Joey

Silver's feet beat against the ground in a quick staccato as he ran from New Bark. He dashed through the paths in the woods, sometimes running off the path and finding a new one so he would be harder to find. Run, run, run. He needed to get [i]away[/i]. He had just attacked and very likely killed his best friend of 13 years. Then he turned and ran like a coward.

His footsteps slowed, and he bent over, leaning on a tree for support. How long had he been running? It felt like hours. He had left shortly after curfew back in New Bark, but that didn't tell him much.

His breathing began to slow. Tired… he was tired. When had he ever felt this tired? So much running… maybe that was it. Running… from his old life… from his old identity…

Silver took another step, to continue running. All of a sudden, a wave of tiredness hit him like a cannon. His legs fell out from under him, and the ground reached up to meet him. As darkness blanketed his vision, Silver gave into the tiredness. He had decided that he had run enough, just as the first rays of dawn began to break over the horizon of the forest.

[center]***[/center]

Silver woke up and looked around, spooked that he had apparently been picked up and carried into someone's house while he had been asleep, even though everyone knows that it happens to everyone that falls asleep in a forest.

Silver tried to stand up, but his aching legs stopped him. He grimaced; without his legs, he'd have to resort to-

"Hey, you're awake!" The voice cut into Silver's train of thought. He looked up to see a kid in shorts, a yellow shirt, and sandals with very messy brown hair. "The name's Joey. I'm the one that brought you here, to the Cherrygrove Children's Hospice. Nice to meet you."

Hospice? Silver couldn't have looked [i]that[/i] bad, could he? Or maybe the kid's family owned the place and it was more of the kid's home, and Silver had been brought in as a stray traveler. The kid didn't look too bad himself, after all.

"Hey, kid," Joey said, "what were you doing out in the forest? Are you doing something important?"

"Very," Silver said. "How did you get me here? You're, what? Eleven?"

"[i]Thirteen[/i]," Joey said. "And I'm… pretty strong. My Rattata helped me, too. He's, like, in the top percentage of Rattata!" At the mention of the name, a little purple rat skittered into the room.

"That's nice, kid. Anyway, I need to leave." Silver tried to stand up again, but collapsed back onto the bed.

"You won't get far in your condition," Joey said. "I'll tell you a secret; I can see people's aura. I see their potential, their current power, and how long they're likely to live. You have a lot of potential, but right now you're weaker than a newborn Magikarp. I mean, the only way I can think of someone getting as low on energy as you is if they sprinted for a couple hours straight."

Silver looked away, then looked back.

"What about my lifespan?"

"It's not very clear. All I can tell you is that it's bigger than mine- your potential, too. Then again, outliving me won't be hard. I'm set to die pretty soon."

"From the looks of you, kid, it isn't hard to have much more potential than you, either."

Joey smiled, but… didn't, in an unsettling way. "I actually get that a lot. You'd be surprised. But you seem in a hurry to get out of here. Why?"

Silver noticed the quick change in subject, but didn't care. "I'm a pirate. No crew, but I'm fine with that. No bounty, either, but I'm going to fix that by heading up to Violet City and kicking Falkner's ass. I get the feeling that it would announce my intentions very clearly."

"Pirate?" Joey asked, his eyes lighting up. "As in the open seas, and riches and battles? I'm coming with you."

Silver's brow furrowed. "No. You don't seem to get what I'm going to do, kid. I'm going to announce war on the World Government. One man. Even though I have a Devil Fruit, the World Government has the Marines, the Warlords, and who knows what else. What I'm doing is absolutely insane, and I'm not dragging some kid into it."

"Then I'll follow you. I have a few months to live. I'm not going to sit around Cherrygrove and die when I could be doing something more."

"What grudge do you have against the World Government?" Silver asked.

"You've never been to Cherrygrove before, have you?" Joey asked. "I'll show you once you can walk."

[center]-[/center]

My problem with it is I want to do more in the chapter than just have them sit there :/ Y'know, have Joey blow a few things up. But I don't see how, and... gah.


	4. Pirate Silver's Technique Anko Ea

ilver ate the soup Joey had brought him. He was feeling uneasy, staying in Cherrygrove so long, even if it was to recover. He had been here three days now, and he was finally moving around, if not much. When Joey came back with the next meal, Silver quickly asked him what was on his mind.

"You mentioned something going on here in Cherrygrove. You said you'd show me once I could walk; I can walk. Let's go, and let me see what's wrong."

Joey thrust the meal of bread and a small portion of meat into Silver's hands. "Eat first," he said. "Then we'll go. You'll need the energy." Silver complied and wolfed down the small meal, even quicker than he had the past few days. Joey motioned for Silver to follow him.

"Our problem here is simple," Joey said as he navigated through a few corridors. "A few months back, a pirate crew passed through here. A crew of Marines was sent to get rid of them. After a few days, they arrived and quickly killed or ran off the pirates. They just didn't leave. They've apparently been stationed here, and are abusing what they consider their rights. There's a strict curfew, rations, and there have been executions. One man who was just passing through was seized and tied to a post until he died, just because he was carrying a weapon."

He stopped at a door and grasped the handle, turning it slowly as not to creak and cracking it open to peek outside.

"A few of us here in Cherrygrove can fight, and we've decided that we weren't going to take this lying down. Their leader found out and personally killed everyone in the group but me, because I was a kid. That didn't stop him from lowering the rations to the hostel here, where I live, and demanding a tribute from the owners."

"So you want me to help?" Silver asked. "Too bad. I'm staying out of Marine business until I get to Violet City. I need to surprise them there, not get a reputation beforehand."

"Do you think crushing these bozos will raise any flags at Marine HQ?" Joey asked. "That's a load. I don't think these guys even send in reports; they won't be missed. And I just need you to distract a couple guys while I go after their Captain."

"In other words, you want me to get shot at while you get killed. Sure, kid, I'll just leave."

"They won't let you!" Joey hissed. "They've got the exits blocked off, and going through the forest is sure to get you killed, and, and, and, and [i]we need help![/i]"

Silver looked away. Joey looked like he was about to cry, but that didn't bother Silver. He just saw parallels between them. They both felt loyalty to some backwater town in the middle of nowhere, Johto, they both wanted to leave, and they both had a death sentence- one self-imposed, one apparently imposed by fate.

"Fine," Silver said. "How many men?"

"Fifteen plus their Captain," Joey said, wiping away the tears collecting at the brims of his eyes and peeking back out into the street. "Eight have guns, last time I checked. The others use standard Marine-issue cutlasses."

"Well, I have a plan," Silver said, pushing Joey out of the way and walking boldly into the street, the only person not locking themselves in and hoping for protection against their protectors. He inhaled deeply.

[size=9]"HEY MARINES! I AM AN ENEMY OF THE WORLD GOVERNMENT, MARINES, OUTCAST OF A REVOLUTIONARY, AND YOU GUYS COULDN'T TOUCH ME EVEN WITH YOUR FALSE JUSTICE!"[/size]

"Think that got their attention?" Joey asked sarcastically, covering his ears from the yell.

"Yeah. Now get going, before they get here. You're after their Captain, right?" Joey nodded and dashed out from behind the door, and swiftly turning down a back alley. Silver was confident he knew exactly where he was going.

However, he heard the stereo sound of Marine footsteps approaching from both ends of the street, and focused on the task at hand. He closed his eyes and began to breathe deeply.

"Air, solidify," he murmured. "Anko Ea."

He opened his eyes to four Marines aiming their rifles at him from the front, with three swordsmen behind them. He heard similar sounds from behind him, and assumed that the rest of the group was there.

"I should thank you," Silver said. "You guys will be the field test of my Devil Fruit. I will either walk out of here after pulverizing all of you, or be riddled with bullets and die a horrible death- considering, of course, if you guys have any marksmanship at all."

The Marines ignored him, and took aim. One of the swordsmen raised his sword and yelled. "Three, two, one, FIRE!"

Eight simultaneous gunshots erupted.


	5. Face Off Against Marines

No pain. That was a good thing, right? Silver began to open his eyes slowly.

"Wh-what is that freak?" a Marine voice yelled. Silver had to agree. He couldn't believe his eyes.

Before him, four bullets were suspended in mid-air. He reached out slowly and touched one. When nothing happened, he grabbed it, and held it close to his face for inspection. He had done it, he realized. He had stopped bullets. He dropped the bullet, and exhaled the breath he had been holding since he had been fired upon. The other seven bullets dropped, clinking to the ground.

Silver then turned his attention to the Marines in front of him. They were all shaking uncontrollably. He took a step forward.

"Run!" one of the marksman yelled, turning tail and dashing, tripping over his own feet. The other three marksman followed, and Silver heard the same happening behind him. The swordsman, however, were standing their ground, albeit very afraid.

"Bullets don't work," one of them said, "but maybe blades will! Charge!"

[center]***[/center]

Joey heard gunfire, but continued to run. He was sure Silver was fine. Silver probably had a plan for that.

Joey rounded another corner, and saw a musclebound man he identified as the Marine captain yelling at a member of the hostel.

"You were suppose to keep tabs on that brat!" the captain yelled. "You'll never even make it as a cabin boy on my crew!"

"Y-yes, sir," the young boy stuttered, "I'm sorry, sir."

"Never apologize!" the captain roared. "It's a sign of weakness, and I do not tolerate weakness! Get out of my sight!" He raised his fist to beat the boy, but he had already fled, crying for safety.

"Can't pick on someone bigger than you?" Joey asked darkly, emerging from the shadows of the alley he was in. "Then I'll give you a good fight."

The captain turned to Joey. "Hey, if it isn't the little runt. Where's your little pet, today? Or did it finally catch the Bubonic Plague and die like it should? I always hated those pesky little raAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!"

The captain's scream was from a sudden slash on his left bicep from Ratatta's Hyper Fang. It landed and skidded to a halt, turning to face the captain.

"Rat. Atta."

"Allow me to translate, captain," Joey said. "He said you should wash your neck and wait."

"You little BASTARDS!" the captain shouted, smashing his fist into the ground. Joey watched as the fist turned into a hammer made of stone. "I am Captain Roy Hammerhand of the Marines! I have the Hammer-Hammer Fruit, a Devil Fruit that allows me to turn my hands into hammers and smash my opposition! I'll crush you flat!"

"Ratatta, if you could, please stand back. I'll take this fool."

Captain Hammerhand raised his hammer and brought it down at Joey, who jumped backwards to avoid the blow that cracked the ground.

"Is that the best you can do?" Joey asked.

"Oh, I can get faster," Hammerhand said. "But I prefer to destroy my opponents in one blow. It shows that when I don't do that, problems arise. I should have smashed you along with the other turncoats, and saved myself the trouble."

"Don't you [i]dare[/i] speak of my friends that way!" Joey yelled. "[i]You're[/i] the turncoat, betraying the Marines to torment our small town!"

"The strong deserve power over the weak!" Hammerhand yelled as he swung again, with Joey easily ducking the horizontal blow. "Cherrygrove is weak, and I am strong! Therefore, I deserve power over Cherrygrove!" He brought his fist down again, cracking the ground more, but still not hurting Joey. "Argh! Fight like a man instead of running away!"

"Is that what you want?" Joey asked. He backed up out of Hammerhand's range, closed his eyes, and took a deep breath. When he opened his eyes, he could see his aura and Hammerhand's aura.

"From what I see, if I attack you head-on, the results won't look pretty, and it's against my code to shorten someone else's life when I have so short to live myself. However, I might just show you a small portion of what this Cherrygrove kid can do."

Joey focused, and concentrated a small portion of his aura around his fist, which began to glow softly.

"You have to be kidding me!" Hammerhand yelled as he raised his stone fist for one last blow, and smashed down.

Joey, however, met the hammer with his glowing hand, releasing the energy that of his aura into the hammer and shattering it, leaving a bloody wrist as the end of Hammerhand's arm.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH!" he yelled. "My hand! What did you do to my hand? Why does it hurt so much? Why?"

"This is nothing compared to the pain you've caused others, Hammerhand," Joey said. "Consider it a mercy you still have your limbs, as I told Ratatta to wait this one out. This is the power I've gotten from combining a birth talent and training with my Pokémon. What you just felt was a Mega Punch. That is among my lower techniques. Imagine, if you will, an explosive Dynamic Punch."

"Wh-what are you?" Hammerhand yelled.

"I am Joey, citizen of Cherrygrove and son of 'Aura' Riley. Remember my name, because if you ever come back here, I will break every bone in your body twice over!"

Hammerhand fainted.


	6. First Mate Joey! Setting Off For Violet!

A/N: This chapter is where the tribute to the first couple of chapters of One Piece is ended, with the real plot beginning to kick in. Also, I'd really prefer some reviews, and I can't seem to remember how to format things for (like italics and bold), so I would like some help on that front, as well.

Silver downed his ale and laughed. The celebration in the tavern was in full swing, with everything on the house. Silver's fight against the Marine squad had been an entirely one-sided affair, and, in his opinion, didn't even warrant a short description to those that so desperately wanted to hear of his every deed.

Joey, however, was the hero of the town, much more than Silver. Singlehandedly defeating Captain Hammerhand was no small feat to the town; every description was becoming wilder and wilder, with many drunken men blowing what was already an amazing feat out of proportion. Apparently Joey could summon seven gods from eight different religions on command, tear Hammerhand apart molecule by molecule, and piece him back together as a sign of mercy, save for his hand, which was a reminder to never return to Cherrygrove, despite Joey carrying him to the clinic where Hammerhand had yet to leave. Silver stopped telling people that after Joey asked him, though.

"Why can't I have a drink?" Joey asked as he appeared from the mob of his admirers, reiterating an early question to Silver.

"You're underage~."

"Hypocrite."

"Here, have some juice~!" Silver said merrily as he passed a tankard filled with a nonalcoholic orange liquid.

"Sure! …Wait!" Joey glared at Silver. "I'm not a kid."

"Well, believe me, Joey, from my point of view, it's not that great to be drunk! Now stop spinning and ask the nice demon behind you to stop breathing so heavily~!"

Joey raised an eyebrow. "How many drinks have you had?"

"A true man never counts his drinks! Anyway, I somewhat remember losing count around eighteen~."

"How long ago was that?"

The bartender answered. "About half an hour ago."

"Can you cut him off?"

"He threatened me last time I warned him."

"A true man drinks until he faints~!" Silver said, pointing a defiant finger in the sky before passing out on the spot.

[center]***[/center]

Silver moaned as his headache continued.

"Did I say anything truly stupid last night?" he asked Joey groggily.

"First, everything that came out of your mouth was stupid, but I don't think you said anything that would ruin you. Second, that was three nights ago."

Silver stood up unsteadily, and nearly fell over before he was caught by Joey.

"A whole week… I've been here too long," Silver groaned. "Keep moving, I've got to keep moving…"

Joey recognized what Silver was doing; he had tried the same thing when he had woken up in the hostel.

"Silver, if you continue like this, you're going to get yourself killed."

"I don't usually drink like that," Silver said, leaning on the wall for support as he made his way towards the door.

"No, I mean your self-destructive attitude. You ran until you fainted, you drank until you fainted… you need someone to watch over you." A faint memory played in Silver's head upon hearing that.

[i]"Silver, there is a time to give up," a ten-year-old Crystal said as she looked at Silver, bandaged and lying in a hospital bed.[/i]

[i]"No, you can never give up!" Silver said. "Giving up can't be the answer! You have to push forward, and prove yourself! A real man never gives up!"[/i]

[i]"A real man knows when to stop, Silver."[/i]

"Yeah, I guess I do need someone to help me," Silver said wearily. "What about you, Joey? Didn't you say you would follow me in my war against the World Government? Why don't you become my First Mate, and be the one that tells me when enough is enough? You certainly proved you had the fighting skills for it when you beat Hammerhand."

"Of course I'll help you, Silver," Joey said soberly. "If it weren't for you, my hometown would still be under the control of those bastards. First Mate Joey… it has a ring to it, doesn't it?"

"Now, you'll hate me for this, but as my first act as your captain, we need to do a little damage to Cherrygrove, or when a real Marine squad shows up, this place will look like it's harbored fugitives. Do you know of anything we can destroy without being too much trouble?"

"No! There's a cabin to the north a little. We can stay there while you recuperate, and tell everyone to say we fled there after we defeated Hammerhand."

"Okay, that would work, too. Let's go." Silver began shuffling towards the door, still leaning on the wall.

"Here, let me help you," Joey said, taking Silver's arm and slinging it over his shoulders to help steady him.

"Thanks. Now, we'll rest, and then we'll head for Violet City, and take down Falkner! Birdbrain has it coming… let's go."


	7. Infoshort 2

A/N: This is another infoshort (obviously), which, while slightly redundant here on , are in the original which was posted on a Pokémon forum (bmgf) since not everybody there was familiar with One Piece. However, I still include them for the bits of foreshadowing/plot they carry.

Silver was lying in the dusty hut's bed, staring at the ceiling. While Joey and Ratatta were catching food, Silver had been forced to rest after nearly falling. He wanted to get to Violet City as soon as possible, not wait here another night!

He sighed. Even if he wanted to go, there was nothing he could do. He felt too restless to just sit there, though, and sat up on the side of the bed. Maybe he should practice fighting! But when he tried to stand up, another wave of dizziness hit him, sitting him back down on the bed.

He looked around the hut. Maybe there was something to practice his Devil Fruit ability on. The dust! He remembered how he had originally worked out measurements with his Fruit- the dust in alleys had let him see what he had done.

He held out his hand, and focused. Before long, a small dust spinner had formed above his palm, but it dissipated just as quickly. Silver frowned. He needed to work on spinning attacks with his ability. Every time he tried, it either ran out of energy or got out of control.

[i]A young Silver plays with dust in an alley, trying to get it to spin around him. He doesn't notice the dark clouds beginning to converge on his town. The first few tries on a dust spinner simply stop after a short while, but eventually he starts the dust in the little tornado and slowly makes it bigger and bigger, laughing happily at his success. Then he realizes the tornado is getting harder and harder to control, and he tries to stop it.[/i]

[i]"Air-Air Reversal!" he shouts, attempting to use his powers to spin air in the opposite direction. However, it isn't strong enough and the tornado continues to grow. Silver begins to feel the air pressure get higher and higher, and he gets scared. "Air-Air Shield!" he yells, covering his head with his arms as he kneels on the ground, on the verge of crying. However, nothing happens, and Silver begins to panic. He begins to think of how he can use the air as a shield, or find something that can protect him, when he hears a shout. "Gold!" he yells, but his voice is drowned out by the storm.[/i]

Silver shook his head. He needed to forget about his ties to New Bark, his old friends. They didn't matter anymore. He couldn't risk his life for them, just because he had grown up with them. Would they do the same for him?

[i]Silver flailed in the water, screaming for help. "I can't swim!" he screamed. "Someone help me! Pleargh-"[/i]

[i]He spit out the mouthful of water. He felt his energy draining, and he knew he was sinking. His Devil Fruit was dragging him down, all the way to the bottom of the ocean, and there wasn't a thing he could do.[/i]

[i]Silver's vision began to narrow. He had stopped yelling after his mouth went underwater, and his head was soon completely underwater. Silver stopped struggling. He wondered what he looked like, a serene scene of a dying boy.[/i]

[i]Silver saw a large splash. Gold's silhouette appeared out of it. What? A small thought formed in the back of Silver's barely conscious head; "Gold can't swim, though." Then, blackness.[/i]

He leaned back on the bed and closed his eyes. He did feel tired, he decided.

[i]"Take this, little one," a woman said. "It will help you, whether you eat it or sell it. Remember it as the Air-Air Devil Fruit; the power over air at the cost of swimming, something every Devil Fruit user must bear. My son, never forget this; the government has taken everything from us, and we won't stand for it, isolated here."[/i]

[i]"But, Mama!" Silver cried. He was barely three, and had already seen the war that ravaged his homeland, something no child should have to endure. "I don't wanna leave you! You and Daddy can protect me, right?"[/i]

[i]"I'm sorry, little one," Silver's mother said. "But it looks like we can't protect you any more. Now go!" She lifted him into a crate of food and put the top on. "We love you, Silver!"[/i]

"Mother!" Silver yelled as he awoke from his dream. He was drenched in sweat, and it was pitch-black outside. Where was Joey? Silver stood up, using the wall for support in case he had another dizzy spell, and walked outside. Joey was sitting just outside, staring into a fire.

"You okay?" Joey asked quietly.

"Yeah. Just some bad memories was all it was."

"Was it of losing your mother?"

Silver stared at Joey. The way he had asked the question… "You, too, huh?"

"Yup," Joey said, his voice cracking. "Never really knew my dad, either. Just some foggy memories and stories my mom told me."

"Two teenage orphans against the most powerful group of people in the world, who have the largest military force known to man… yeah, logic dictates that, if we don't win, we'll at least give'em hell." Silver smiled. "It's my personal policy to look towards the future more than the past. The past teaches you how to not screw up the future; it only warrants one look. We're passed grieving, right?" He stood up. "Then let's go. We'd better start towards Violet City now if we're going to make in time."

Joey stood up and began to walk after Silver. "In time for what?"

"I don't know," Silver admitted, "but I do have one important question I neglected to ask my last friend; you [i]can[/i] swim, right?"


End file.
